Flight path Dublin - Faro

howyanow

Hi Folks.
Not a frequent flyer at all,dont enjoy it at all!
I have flight booked from Dublin to Faro in early July.I was just wondering what is the usual flight path for such a flight or does it vary from day to day?
I would assume we fly down hugging Coast of France or do we go direct over sea all the way?
would I expect much turbulence or does that also vary from day to day?
Thanks in advance

PapaQuebec

howyanow wrote: »

Hi Folks.
Not a frequent flyer at all,dont enjoy it at all!
I have flight booked from Dublin to Faro in early July.I was just wondering what is the usual flight path for such a flight or does it vary from day to day?
I would assume we fly down hugging Coast of France or do we go direct over sea all the way?
would I expect much turbulence or does that also vary from day to day?
Thanks in advance

Checkout www.flightradar24.com

ComeraghBlue

its usually straight down over the sea majority of the way.

Dun

Why don't you go to http://www.flightradar24.com/ and type in the number of your flight on a day and time that the flight normally goes at and you can click on it to see the flight path.

highlydebased

Who are you flying with? Aer Lingus flights avoid french airspace as a rule (down towards Cork then straight line for Santiago basically), many Ryanair flights do this also

howyanow

Thanks for replies.I always thought they tried to fly as close to land as possible but clearly its about the most direct route to keep costs down.

Bummer1234

highlydebased wrote: »

Who are you flying with? Aer Lingus flights avoid french airspace as a rule (down towards Cork then straight line for Santiago basically), many Ryanair flights do this also

Sorry to go slightly off topic but mind me asking why Aer lingus and Ryanair try to avoid French Airspace if flying that way...Its not just cause of todays French ATC strike?

Shamrock231

Bummer1234 wrote: »

Sorry to go slightly off topic but mind me asking why Aer lingus and Ryanair try to avoid French Airspace if flying that way...Its not just cause of todays French ATC strike?

No, certain airways have cheaper enroute charges so often Aer Lingus and Ryanair will use these even if they add a few extra track miles to the flight...

Bummer1234

Shamrock231 wrote: »

No, certain airways have cheaper enroute charges so often Aer Lingus and Ryanair will use these even if they add a few extra track miles to the flight...

Wow....Didn't know that..Thanks Shamrock231!

coylemj

howyanow wrote: »

Thanks for replies.I always thought they tried to fly as close to land as possible but clearly its about the most direct route to keep costs down.

Flying along the coast of the Bay of Biscay would be a recipe for a bumpy flight all the way in my experience. Anywhere a large land mass meets sea there tends to be currents of air which lead to minor turbulence, even in clear skies.

Everything else being equal, you're better off flying over open sea or flat land, not across coast lines or mountain ranges.

rugbyman

re your trip to Faro I dont think that the routing will affect your comfort.

There are many on this Forum who culd answer any queries but have not shown up yet.

But I find it interesting for this reason, one of the people who ansered you ,suggested Flightradar24.com would show the routing. I fly regularly to Charleroi and to Beauvais. the route is almost always identical but can change.

Dublin to Fishguard,Cardiff, Bristol, London (look down at Heathrow), Dover or Margate,Ramsgate,

When things are running late short cuts are approved by the air traffic people, like crossing Bristol to Dublin over Wales, and crossing the English Channel by Brigton/Southampton to Beauvais.

But here is my question and the reason for butting in here. Yesterday on the Dub Charleroi route I looked out on a big airport on my left, about 50 mins after leaving Dublin. Right oh I said , Gatwick , but no sign of London or the Thames, so where am I, actually crossed over the plane to look out on RHS and saw water and what I took to be the Isle of Wight, Ok ,short cut to Beauvais, but plane was going to Charleroi, so I was and am puzzled.

Can anyone advise me as to why the plane was flying Northish Southish on that route.

If my sightings were wrong I am a eeejit, no problem.


re the current dispute in France, for whom stoppages are a part of life, I have read over the years two things, which may or may not be true,

I if european wide ATC comes in it will save 30 kms per flight(average). ie hundreds of thousands of euro ,and thousands of manhours per day.

2 it costs about 80 euro to cross a countrys airspace, so Dover /Ramsgate to Ostende,means no France on that Dub Belgium flight

regards Rugbyman

rugbyman

Dun, am trying that suggestion to study past flights, like yesterday, have not managed it yet though

Rugbyman

tricky D

rugbyman wrote: »

Dublin to Fishguard,Cardiff, Bristol, London (look down at Heathrow), Dover or Margate,Ramsgate,

When things are running late short cuts are approved by the air traffic people, like crossing Bristol to Dublin over Wales, and crossing the English Channel by Brigton/Southampton to Beauvais.

It's not quite a common thing to get an almost direct route from DUB to London as Cardigan Bay up to Anglesey is a Military Training Area. That's why the typical route to and from London would skirt North Wales and maybe sometimes route south turning near Fishguard.

http://www.pb-photos.com/Images/Aviation/Others/UK%20Military%20Airspace.pdf

EchoIndia

rugbyman wrote: »

When things are running late short cuts are approved by the air traffic people, like crossing Bristol to Dublin over Wales, and crossing the English Channel by Brigton/Southampton to Beauvais.

But here is my question and the reason for butting in here. Yesterday on the Dub Charleroi route I looked out on a big airport on my left, about 50 mins after leaving Dublin. Right oh I said , Gatwick , but no sign of London or the Thames, so where am I, actually crossed over the plane to look out on RHS and saw water and what I took to be the Isle of Wight, Ok ,short cut to Beauvais, but plane was going to Charleroi, so I was and am puzzled.

The notion that shortcuts are approved when flights are running late is a bit out of keeping with reality. Direct routeings are granted when traffic permits but not just because a flight is late! Anyway, timetables are usually "padded" so that supposed lost time can often be made up en route. As regards DUB-CRL, there may have been changes to the normal routeing because of the French ATC dispute but I don't think these flights would normally have to enter French airspace anyway. Again FR24 may help you to track the route taken if you can establish the ATC callsign used for the particular flight (which may well not be the flight number used for passenger purposes).

urajoke

To those who want a single sky, get a large map of Europe, pin every single airport and now link every airport with each one it has a scheduled flight with, now tell me would you like to control that airspace or oh I don't know have major routes that provide an organised flow. Think of it another way get in your car and drive in a straight line to where you want to go along with the hundreds of other people who want to do the same thing.

It's a stupid idea draw up by idiots who have never controlled in their life. Yes we can organise our air routes and airspace better but to think you can take off from Dublin and fly in a straight line to Heathrow and its going to end up being quicker, cheaper or safer than currently is foolish at best. You'll end up zig zagging all over the sky missing dozens of other aircraft or taking inefficient levels to do it.

coylemj

urajoke wrote: »

To those who want a single sky

Who said anything about a single sky? Are you trying to hijack this thread to bang the drum on behalf of some public sector trade union?

urajoke

coylemj wrote: »

Who said anything about a single sky? Are you trying to hijack this thread to bang the drum on behalf of some public sector trade union?

Rugbyman did but not using the official title (european wide atc) and no I'm not, it's not public sector it's semi state. A question was asked and a factual answer was given. I don't care about Europe and their issues and neither does our union.

highlydebased

Bummer1234 wrote: »

Sorry to go slightly off topic but mind me asking why Aer lingus and Ryanair try to avoid French Airspace if flying that way...Its not just cause of todays French ATC strike?

You might be surprised to hear that flights from the likes of Manchester/Glasgow/B'ham etc to the Canaries and Portugal often use Irish airspace and the route described above (and the T16, a more westerly route) as rule rather than exception!

urajoke

highlydebased wrote: »

You might be surprised to hear that flights from the likes of Manchester/Glasgow/B'ham etc to the Canaries and Portugal often use Irish airspace and the route described above (and the T16, a more westerly route) as rule rather than exception!

I once looked it up and from Glasgow etc to Portugal and southern Spain the more direct routing is down over Wexford (given the available airways). Forget cost the quieter airspace and therefore less chance of picking up a sector slot restriction is down over Dublin and cork along previously mentioned airways rather than over busy England and France. Even traffic from Norway route overhead Scotland and Ireland avoiding mainland Europe.

FWVT

urajoke wrote: »

To those who want a single sky, get a large map of Europe, pin every single airport and now link every airport with each one it has a scheduled flight with, now tell me would you like to control that airspace or oh I don't know have major routes that provide an organised flow. Think of it another way get in your car and drive in a straight line to where you want to go along with the hundreds of other people who want to do the same thing.

It's a stupid idea draw up by idiots who have never controlled in their life. Yes we can organise our air routes and airspace better but to think you can take off from Dublin and fly in a straight line to Heathrow and its going to end up being quicker, cheaper or safer than currently is foolish at best. You'll end up zig zagging all over the sky missing dozens of other aircraft or taking inefficient levels to do it.

Irish Airspace has been running this way for a few years now without any problems so I don't quite see your problem. Yes the traffic concentration is less and is mostly aligned east-westish but it can be done.

coylemj

urajoke wrote: »

no I'm not, it's not public sector it's semi state.

Thanks for that clarification.

But let's look under the covers....

• Job for life
• Insulated against commercial competition
• Powerful trade union
• Zero accountability

What exactly is the difference between public sector and semi-state?

urajoke wrote: »

I don't care about Europe and their issues and neither does our union.

Understood, your priority is protecting high-paid jobs so Europe and more efficient routing can go to hell.

hidinginthebush

howyanow wrote: »

Hi Folks.
Not a frequent flyer at all,dont enjoy it at all!
I have flight booked from Dublin to Faro in early July.I was just wondering what is the usual flight path for such a flight or does it vary from day to day?
I would assume we fly down hugging Coast of France or do we go direct over sea all the way?
would I expect much turbulence or does that also vary from day to day?
Thanks in advance

Hey op, I'd be in a similar boat (or plane, as it were) to yourself. I have the same anxiety about flying (as unfounded as it will sound to the more seasoned enthusiasts here).

Anyway, I flew to faro last summer, fwiw the path took us down the coast of ireland, then a skip across the bay of Biscay before travelling down the Iberian peninsula. Both legs of the flight were smooth as silk. Also if it helps just think that the flight is made numerous times a week by both AL and Ryanair, with never a problem. At the end of the day the pilots are people who are extremely well trained and would never put the plane, passengers, or themselves in any sort of danger. You'll be perfectly fine, bring a book and some music to pass the time. Add in a guidebook to get you excited for the holiday! Plus once you hit northern Spain, the view of the landscape is beautiful, the sun hitting the mountains and valleys should get you in proper holiday mode.

Also I've gotten into the habit of a few tipples to pass the time. After takeoff, its usually 20-30 mins before the stewardesses get around to you. So get a drink, even a soft drink, then sip away at it, by the time you're finished, that's pretty much an hour gone. The flights only 2 and a half hours, so you're nearly halfway by then. Add in the fact that the final 20-30 mins is usually descending, you've only an hour of "real" flying left, most of which will be spent excitedly looking at how nice Spain and Portugal look.

I also like to check the flight path in advance and see what we'll be passing over. I was in Sicily a few months ago and saw we were to pass over the alps. I spent the whole flight craning my neck waiting to see them. When we finally reached them it was breathtaking. The time seems to pass a lot quicker when you've little things like that to busy your mind. You'll be fine!